Ex-Blues Defenseman Ed Kea Drowns

ST. LOUIS (AP) _ Former St. Louis Blues defenseman Ed Kea, whose hockey career was cut short by a head injury, has died. He was 51.

Kea drowned Tuesday in an accident at his family’s summer cottage in Ontario.

Kea played 583 games over 10 seasons in the NHL, scoring 30 goals and 175 points. He spent his first six seasons with the Atlanta Flames, who signed him as a free-agent on Oct. 6, 1972.

The Blues acquired him along with Don Laurence and a draft pick in a trade for center Garry Unger on Oct. 10, 1979.

He was playing for the Blues’ Central Hockey League affiliate in Salt Lake City in 1983 when he suffered the injury that ended his career. Kea suffered severe head trauma when he fell and hit his head on the ice during a game. The injury left him physically and mentally disabled.

Kea and his family remained in St. Louis after the injury. He is survived by his wife, Jennifer, and four children. Funeral services were pending.